Welcome Back!

I took a few weeks off while I packed up one house, moved to another, and unpacked. I hope you liked my guest bloggers and appreciated their wisdom!

It feels fitting that I’m writing this on the official first day of school. Even though many schools start in August (my son went back two weeks ago), the day after Labor Day always feels like it’s time to get down to business. And even though it’s been decades since I’ve sat in a real classroom (I’m not counting Writer’s Centers classes at night in Bethesda, Maryland), fall always comes like a kick in the butt. Party’s over. Vacation’s come and gone. It’s time to get back to work and get serious.

I just picked up my phone to check my Twitter feed. I guess maybe getting back to work and getting serious are easier to type than do. But I did rewrite my profile to include the link to my book. Does that count as work?

Truth is, there are some people who greet September the same way they greet the morning, by leaping out of bed at the crack of dawn and embracing everything they need to do. And there are others who live in a deep state of denial, hoping against hope that that last day of August will never show up on the calendar.

About twelve years ago, when Maryland schools still began the day after Labor Day, I remember enjoying a luxurious day at the neighborhood pool party when a friend turned to me and asked how Alex had done on the summer math packet. Guess what we ended up doing that night? The complete freakin’ summer math packet.

So you can guess which camp I fall into.

This fall, it’s been a little different. Moving into a new house, there’s an urge – and a need – to buy new things. Like a TV for every room, or a few extra coffee tables. Maybe an entire second story. The jury’s still out on that one.

At the same time, I have to remind myself that my goals are not about having a perfect house, but around writing. Selling copies of my current book, starting the next draft of my screenplay adaptation, and then, when that’s done, editing my second women’s fiction novel. Of course, these days it’s not just about the writing. There’s a platform to maintain.

Along those lines, I’ve decided to kick off the new school year by making a big change – to the name of my blog. When I first began the blog, we had just moved in to our rental home in Treasure Island, Florida, and “My Year on Vacation” seemed apt, since we had a one-year lease. Now we’re Floridian home owners. We’re in this for good, crazy new flood insurance laws be damned.

So I need a new name for my blog, something about writing and Florida and reading and maybe my uninsurable German Shepherd, too. I’m looking for suggestions, and maybe next week I’ll ask you to vote.

Till then, if you haven’t bought my book, it’s right here!